DO SCRIPTURES GIVE US ANY INDICATION THAT THE RETURN OF JESUS IS NEAR?

What are some indicators that we are living in the ‘last days’?
The scriptures tell us what we can expect as the return of Jesus
Christ gets nearer, but for now, we will look at just two of them.

In the last days, some will “fall away” (depart from the faith),
and others will “abandon the faith” altogether.
Some who were faithful worshippers will drift away and start
attending worship services occasionally, or not attending at all.
Others will decide that there is no place for worship
in their lives at all (they will ‘abandon’ the faith).

1 Timothy 4:1-2
   The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon
   the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by
   demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars,
   whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-3 (NIV)
   Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our
   being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,
   not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching
   allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of
   mouth or by letter —asserting that the day of the Lord has
   already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for
   that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man
   of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-3 (KJV)
   Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord
   Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that
   ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by
   spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day
   of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means:
   for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away
   first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

When we think about the return of Jesus Christ, we see
in the scriptures that He will return after there is a ‘falling away’.
That means there will be a significant decline in those attending worship,
which of course means there will be a decline of people with faith in the Lord.

If we ask ourselves, “Has there been a falling away in our time?”
the answer is, “Yes, and it’s not only growing, but is accelerating”.
Each generation has seen a decline in church membership
among those who affiliate with a specific religion.

Look at the decline of the percentages
of people who have NOT fallen away
(the ones who are still attending worship):
     1998-2000 = 65%
     2008-2010 = 62%
     2018-2020 = 51%

Here is a breakdown of the decline
in worship attendance (by generations):

Traditionalists (born prior to 1946)
     1998-2000 = 77%
     2008-2010 = 73%
     2018-2020 = 66%

Baby Boomers (1946-1964)
     1998-2000 = 67%
     2008-2010 = 63%
     2018-2020 = 58%

Generation X (1965-1980)
     1998-2000 = 62%
     2008-2010 = 57%
     2018-2020 = 50%

Millennials (1981-1996)
     1998-2000 = n/a
     2008-2010 = 51%
     2018-2020 = 36%

How is each subsequent generation influenced by their parents?
The frequency of attendance by parents affects
the attendance of the children in the following ways:

    PARENT ATTENDANCE                       CHILDREN ATTENDANCE
(Regular, irregular, or none)         Regular    Irregular    Do not attend
Dad (regular), Mom (regular)          32.8%        41.4%           25.8%
Dad (regular), Mom (irregular)       37.7%        37.6%           24.7%
Dad (regular), Mom (none)              44.2%        22.4%           33.4%

Dad (irregular), Mom (regular)         3.4%        58.6%           38.0%
Dad (irregular), Mom (irregular)      7.8%        60.8%           31.4%
Dad (irregular), Mom (none)           25.5%        22.8%           51.8%

Dad (none), Mom (regular)                1.5%        37.4%           61.1%
Dad (none), Mom (irregular)             2.3%        37.8%           59.9%
Dad (none), Mom (none)                    4.6%        14.7%           80.7%

From these statistics, we can see the trickle-down effect
when parents attend worship infrequently, or not at all.
We can also see the influence of a father’s worship attendance.
The bottom line is, we will all be held accountable
for the influence we have had on our children.

Look at the decline in these two sets of statistics:
Regular Church attendance:
     1950 – 74% (almost 3 out of every 4)
     1990 – 68%
     2006 – 64%
     2010 – 61%
     2015 – 55%
     2018 – 50%
     2020 – 47% (less than half)

Percentage of ‘falling away’ in the last 2 decades:
      8% in 1998-2000
     13% in 2008-2010
     21% over the past three years

The scriptures also tell us that ‘in the latter times’
sin and lawlessness will be revealed.
We have witnessed how sin and lawlessness (which used to be
hidden), is now marching down the main streets of America.
There is no shame in the hearts of people causing them to hide their
sins, and there is no guilt for committing lawless acts (brutality,
thievery, destruction of property, and even murder).

Brutality:
People have filmed themselves physically abusing others.

Thievery:
Groups of people brazenly walk into stores without a disguise,
take whatever they want, and boldly leave the store.

Destruction of property:
Rioters delight in destroying the property of others
(breaking windows, spray-painting walls,
destroying statues and even fire-bombing police cars).

Murder:
People have filmed themselves committing murder,
and of course there are the massive murders committed
through abortion
(which violates God’s standards (rules) for mankind).

In this brief document we can see how
mankind is hastening the return of Jesus Christ.

The thought of His returning can strike fear in the
hearts of those who do not belong to Him as they
realize the possibility of having to face His judgment
and be condemned to eternal punishment.

At the same time, it can be an exciting time for those
who belong to Him with one exception – followers of
Jesus have a desire to see the lost saved before His return.

God has given every one of His creations
an opportunity to make one of two choices:
    – We can believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins
       and humbly come before God asking for His salvation
       and commit to a life of worshipping and serving Him.
       Note:
           When we die, if He doesn’t exist,
           we’ll never know about it.

    – We can choose to believe that God doesn’t exist and
       that Jesus Christ did not die for our sins, so there is
       no point in being concerned about salvation from God.
       Note:
           When we die, if He does exist,
           it will be too late for us to seek His salvation.

Which choice have you made?